


Days of the Moon

by Auseil



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Age Difference, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Comfort Sex, F/M, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Infidelity, May/December Relationship, Minor Character Death, Older Characters, Older Man/Younger Woman, Prompt Fic, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:20:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27417154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auseil/pseuds/Auseil
Summary: *Set in an alternate universe, where the Hundred Year War never existed*Yue, princess of the Northern Water has spent all her life sheltered and compliant to her parent's will, accepting it as law. She lived because his parents, plead to the Spirits for her life, she married a man, not of her own accord, but because it was expected of her. She is seen as the Jewel of the North, compassionate and kind, but also cold and aloof; and even those closest to her, feel sometimes that she´s neither in this world, nor in the other, but something in-between.Yue is bound to honor and tradition her existence chained to icy ancient rules, but she´s also tied to a realm unseen that she doesn't comprehend yet, with its own requirements, that she will discovered soon enough.
Relationships: Hahn/Yue (Avatar), Yue/Zhao (Avatar)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 21





	1. The princess in her tower of ice

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Dawning](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16968648) by [Loopy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loopy/pseuds/Loopy). 



> The idea for this fic came from Loopy's story, Dawning, it´s based on this prompt that she so kindly looked up for me when I asked her about it:
> 
> "Some sort of AU where Yue lives. The man who would be the Moonslayer, and the girl who is a phase of the Moon Spirit. Treaty-brides and war-brides and concubines. Theft and pride and the way moonlight is a reflection of the sun's light."
> 
> Even though the idea I have in mind differs a little bit from the original, I want to thank her for sharing her story and her kindness for searching the prompt so I could have something more to work with. 
> 
> Truth be told, this is not a pairing I would usually write, but the plot just didn't want to go away from my head. 
> 
> As always, kudos and comments are deeply appreciated.

Prologue  


  
Everything began with a certainty and a doubt. 

The certainty she never knew happiness in her life, the doubt she may still have some joy left.

A lifetime ago, she was born into the world, a fragile child who couldn’t cry or utter any sound, but to a powerful and influential family nonetheless. Her father was chief Arnook, the leader of the Northern Water Tribe, her mother belonged to an important clan, noted for their strong warriors and brave sailors. 

Her birth should have marked a joyous day for her parents, after all, she was the embodiment of their alliance, the child they had tried years to conceive. But her arrival came marked with sorrow, she was too small and lithe, her breath was almost non-existent, and even the most renowned healers were unable to do anything for her, except maybe prologue her agony.

Desperate, her parents turned to the world of the spirits, and in the most sacred place of her people they presented their only daughter to the mercy of Tui and La, the Moon and the Sea, the eternal dancers. 

But the healing waters of the oasis where the physical forms of Tui and La resided alone hadn’t helped her, it was the will of Tui that she should live, and in exchange for life, her dark hair turned white once she was submerged into the water and she began to cry.

Her parents rejoice and the tribe was ecstatic, it was a sign, the princess had been blessed and she would live and she would thrive

Yet, Yue, that was the name her parents choose for her, to signify her connection to the moon, lived but did not thrive. She grew from a quiet baby to a taciturn child, and finally into a kind but a somewhat distant young woman, the silver lady of the North.

  
Chapter 1

From her window, Yue could see a convoluted mass of people gathering in the harbor, everybody wanted to see the metal ship up close, and the strange men that would come from it.

Even though her station as a princess of the northern tribe demanded her to be present at informal events, neither her father nor her husband had asked her to go with them. She accepted their judgment as she accepted everything else, with a composed smile, and without any questions, that was her life and she was, almost fine with it.

“My lady?”  


“Yes, what it is?”

Everything around Yue was carefully crafted, all interactions polite and soft and her maidservants weren’t the exception.

“What hairstyle would like me to do for tonight´s dinner.?”

  
She decides as usual, for something elaborate, with blue light blue ornaments to match her eyes, and relaxes feeling the brush in her hair.

“Kallik?”  


“Yes, my lady?”

“What do you know about the men from the Fire Nation?”  


Her voice comes soft and relaxed, nevertheless she saw how Kallik tensed her shoulders.

“What do you mean princess Yue?”

Even though it had been years since the arrival of the Fire Nation Navy at their shores, Yue had never seen one of them up close, always from afar, from her lonely window. 

For well over a decade, the Fire Nation Navy had helped patrol the seas against the forces of pirates, that had become bold once again after centuries, and in their methods, they were unrivaled. Their ships had aided different nations and in return had received the gratitude of countless people, but not without a certain distrust, the Earth Kingdom suspected that such display of power would come with a cost, the Air Nomads in their pacifism opted to stay away from any conflict and some people of the Water Tribes believed there was something unnaturally wrong with it, as Yue’s husband had said it once “We should be the ones controlling the seas, it’s our right!”. She remembered those words now, but her curiosity was stronger than the stoicism which she used to spend her marital life. Besides Hahn wouldn’t answer her, “do not trouble your pretty head” he would say.

“Well, er …” Kallik mumbled, so unladylike for a woman of her upbringing.

Yue noticed soon that she had touched on a sensitive topic.

“It’s alright, I take you haven’t met any of them?”

“Oh well, there is this young woman that sometimes helps my mother with her healing, just small things so she can have more time to help her patients.” Kallik offered in a whisper.

Yue nodded. 

“Well, one of the soldiers, a year ago … he came into our house looking for help, please my princess, you must not speak of this.” Her companion looked worried and Yue reassured her with an empathic look.

  
In her culture women were restricted to certain roles, and even though they have an amount of independence within specific boundaries, it wasn’t particularly required to reach your nuptial bed untouched, but it wasn’t exactly respected either to enjoy multiple partners. In the end, it was expected that private affairs be conducted as their name intended, far from the eyes and the ears of others. Her situation, nonetheless and those of other’s chiefs daughters was different and tied to more rigid conventions.

“My friend … I mean, this girl, she told me that afterward, the soldier tried to contact her, his ship required provisions and they would be stationed here for some more days, but he had wanted to know more about her. He was eager and she was curious, they parted ways amicably and she hadn’t seen him ever since.”

“What did she told you?”

“Well, they are very proud people, they have these duels using fire called Agni Kai where they fought to defend their honor or to avenge affronts. And … and their bodies are warm, like naturally warm.”  


This little morsel of information struck Yue with a feeling.

“What do you mean? Is it a technique to protect themselves against the cold? A natural gift?”  


“Oh, no it´s not a technique, although probably they possessed something like that to come to think about it, it´s that their bodies radiate natural heat and when … well it´s more obvious in certain circumstances … so she said,” Kallik added the last part trying to contain her blush.

Since she could remember, Yue had not really felt cold, not even during the hardest winters, she attributed this occurrence to what had happened to her when she was a baby, but she hadn’t also truly feel warm either. Her husband had told her repeatedly that he doubted she could.

“I see,” said Yue and concentrate in her thoughts for a moment, while Kallik brushed her hair.

“If I sit close to one of them, do you think I could feel it too?”  


The question took Kallik off guard.

“I really wouldn’t know, I don’t think so my lady.” The young woman didn’t like where this line of thought was taking her and wished she had remained silent.

“But, what about if the person I’m sited next to is a powerful bender?”  


The princess was naturally curious and took interest in the lives of her attendants, but there was a hint behind her words of something that gave Kallik a bad feeling about tonight.

“That could be. As I was told, apparently a powerful fire-bender could elevate a room’s temperature, or at least his or her surroundings, but the Great Hall is quite big since it’s made of ice, I don’t think it would be too easy to notice any important change.”  


“Unless one would stand close?” There was a gleam in Yue´s eyes.

“And unless the bender is very powerful, I guess, maybe,” Kallik answered wanting to end the conversation forever.

Yue knew that during the dinner she would be next to her husband and father, but have no idea where their guest of honor would be, but she suspected that he had to be powerful. Otherwise, she doubted he would have become admiral, at what her father had said, was still a fairly young age for such a position.

The princess took a glance at Kallik´s face and decided to end the matter, at least for now, the girl’s mortified expression brought her some guilt, and she didn’t want anybody to feel bad on her behalf and quickly changed topics.

“Kallik, could you pass me that trinket? Yes that one, what do you think about it?” She said nonchalantly.

The young woman obliged and as she laid the robes for her mistress to choose, she silently prayed to the spirits to guard her princess and protect her against all evil. 


	2. The admiral's arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now we get a glimpse of Zhao and a bit more of this AU, is a short chapter, but the next will be longer.
> 
> As always, kudos and comments make my day!

The Fire Nation cruiser docked safely in the harbor of Agna Qel'a offering a stark contrast against the other vessels there; even though his status as Admiral of the Fire Nation Navy gave him all the rights to travel using an Empire-class battleship, he made the exception for his visits to the Northern Water Tribe. The ice city port could have never cope with a vessel of such breadth, and besides, he understood that there was a growing distrust among the Water Tribe against the Fire Nation Navy, and he, didn’t want to risk looking too proud of his might in front of them. Truth be told, admiral Zhao had no qualms about showing his accomplishments to anyone and relished in the admiration his title beard and the many privileges it came with it, but he also knew when to be careful enough to avoid sticking out like a sore thumb in a place he was better off having as a safe haven´s for his troops.

And with that idea in mind, Admiral Zhao set foot on the docks, his burgundy uniform, and those of his men could be seen from afar, like droplets of blood bare in the snow. As the Fire Lord Iroh had told him once, one of the few things that the Air Nomads and the Fire Nation had in common, was that both of them made too much contrast against their surroundings, unlike the Water Tribes that choose to reflect the color of the sea in their clothes or the many hues of green favored by the citizens of the Earth Kingdom. But, unlike the Air Nomads, with their orange and yellow that looked like cheerful flowers in the wind, their people tended to prefer the boldness of red and gold, a majestic, yet violent contrast against any scenery. 

“You love it, don’t you?” the Fire Lord had asked him once, over a cup of ginseng tea, a shared taste they both have. 

The admiral, a commander back then, hadn’t felt the need to excuse himself. He liked everything, the regalia of his pristine uniform, the battered clothes after a difficult battle, the honors conceded to him for his triumphs and the rage of the conflict. He was meant to be a soldier and took great pride in it. 

And in moments like this, when chief Arnook and that whelp of a son-in-law tailing not far behind, the admiral remembered clearly what his liege had told him that day over tea.

“War, admiral, is a fiery mistress if you choose to love her, which I wouldn’t encourage nor recommend. I understand your passions, maybe even more than what you can think, but remember there is no need to flaunt them in public, much less in a time of peace.”

Zhao had spent a great amount of his will never showing his more ruthless side the supreme chief of the Water Tribe, always trying to be seen as a cold-hearted individual and down to business sort of man. 

  
“Admiral, you honor us with your presence”, the respect in chief Arnook’s voice was genuine, unlike the glances he usually got from some of the other men that surrounded him. 

“Thank you chief, it is you who honors us with your allegiance. I see the news of my designation had reached you.”, said the admiral as he bowed with a complacent smile. There was no doubt Zhao loved the sound of the title attached to his name.

“We were told by the men of one of your nation’s merchant ships.”

“There is always gossip between port to port, but as long as I can use it to my advantage, it´s fine.” he thought.

“We’ll have a feast to celebrate your accomplishments and the birthday of my daughter.”

“Your daughter?”

That was odd, the Northern Water Tribe as a whole was especially distrustful about certain things and aspects of their lives, Zhao had accepted their taboos as culturally important things but not something he should worry about. He was a man who used to see things as they were, or at least so he chose to think. Unlike the Southern Water Tribe, that trained their benders, men and women alike, their kin from North enforced strict a strict separation among both sexes, women could only become healers, and they didn’t hold much political power either, they couldn’t participate in huntings unless it was specifically to cook, salt the meat or prepare the pelts. He had never seen a woman sit in the council with chief Arnook in any capacity, not even the famous healer Yugoda, the only woman he even had remotely heard about in passing conversation by name as something other than a wife or daughter.

“Yes, my wife” a young and annoying voice came from behind chief Arnook.

“Ah, yes the brat.” thought Zhao. It was truly a test to the Admiral’s patience been able to endure Hahn’s presence. Luckily for him, hadn’t seen much of the boy in any of his trips, and he was convinced that even his father-in-law found him a nuisance.

He couldn’t picture Hahn as a married man, because frankly, it was hard for Zhao to even think of him as a grown-up man, as far as he knew he got married to the chief daughter for political reasons and nothing more.

The Admiral offered his congratulations more to the doting father than to the pestering husband, could do little to hide his surprise when he realized that for the first time in years he was going to meet the chief’s whole family, his wife, and daughter and to participate with his men in an actual feast. 

It was an unspoken act of acknowledgment, an act of trust to reward him and he felt pride dwelling in his chest. Even though the feast was going to take place in the royal halls of the Ice Palace, he considered it as good as if he had been invited to the Sancta Santorum of the city.

“I’m honored chief Arnook, your hospitality and your words are already in themselves all the rewards I could ask for, but it fills me with joy this opportunity you bestowed upon me and my people.”

Zhao’s honeyed words were quite right to please the chief and more than enough to sent Hahn into a gagging fit that was conveniently averted by one of the Arnook’s with a single glance. Even Zhao had to admit it was a little fun to see someone who was even worst at diplomacy than him, although Zhao had had enough years to watch and learn from others, and more than a share fair of ambition to catch his tongue and prevent him from making a fool of himself.

Hahn wouldn’t be that lucky and in the end, Zhao was truly glad to have a celebration to be thrown in his honor, even though if he had to share it with some girl he had never seen.

Unbeknownst to him, a pair of blue eyes had set on their entourage and was seeing them from afar, her owner set in deep musings.


	3. The princess in the icy halls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And finally, our main characters meet. I hope you like this chapter and enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. 
> 
> As always, comments and kudos make my day!

The feast was everything that Zhao had expected, his men had been given special seats while the most important members of the tribe were sitting along the hall with their family members, the Fire Warriors group looked like a big stain of blood encased by the ice and Zhao had to make an effort to think about something else.

The Fire Lord didn’t like when he made those sorts of associations “Zhao, you must not think such violent metaphors. Be careful with what your thoughts may manifest.” He had a begrudging respect for the most philosophical advises that his liege had given through the years, even though he still believed that outside the matters of war and fighting, Lord Iroh had the bad habit to be too metaphorical for his taste. 

The admiral had been given a place of honor right next to the chief, he suspected it may have to do with some sort of tradition, for what he could observe if he was taking the right seat next to the chief, then next to his wife, one empty seat should be reserved for his daughter and the one next to him for his son-in-law, but none of them were to be seen yet, and Arnook had begun to look impatient, a rare sight for him who had always seen the chief so composed and amicable through the years.

Zhao suspected that maybe this had to do with the fact that Hahn and others didn’t quite like the idea of receiving help from the Fire Nation, let alone having them as honored guests. 

“If that boy thinks that with his lateness can prove his displeasure, he’s even more of a foul than I thought he was in the first place.” But as he was mentally berating Hahn, he realized that all the sounds in the great hall had dissipated into nothing. It was then when he first laid eyes on her.

Zhao had heard the rumors about the princess, and in his mind, he had called her the Lady Almost. People said that her beauty had an almost non-parallel in this world, merchants and travelers that visited the Agna Qel'a and had seen her in her gondola, even though rarely, traversing the canals that went through the icy city said that she looked like an apparition with her ghostly white hair, almost as if she could disappear into thin air at any given moment. They spoke of the clarity of her blue eyes, and the softness of her voice, more akin to a creature of a legend than to any living thing. Almost there, almost there, close and radiant, distant and pale, like the Moon.

She was dressed in blue and white, the traditional colors of her people, and her hair, unlike any other he had ever seen was styled intricately, with jewels made out of seashells and some blue stone he wasn’t quite sure what it was. For a moment, Zhao thought they were going to reveal the biggest secret they had been keeping from him, that she was the one true Queen of Ice, for, in her presence, everybody, including her father and mother looked more subjects than anything else.

As she was reaching for the high table where they were seated, the Admiral immediately stand out, his strong back straighten as if he was going to salute a high dignitary. At first, he didn’t realize that nobody else had moved but it dawned on him when the princess averted their parents' gaze, and instead of sitting next to her mother, she went straight to his side. 

“Princess Yue, it’s an honor to make you acquaintance.” He bowed to her, with his right hand close to his waist, and managed to take a good look at her while doing so.

Her soft features made her looked more mature than her twenty-one years, and he perceived something playful hidden in the smile of her soft pink lips.   


“The honor is mine, Admiral Zhao.” There was a slight pause and then that smile went a little further “I hope I have pronounced your name correctly.” Yue added as she took the seat right next to him as if that were her designated place all along.

“Your pronunciation is perfect, your highness.” And as they both sat at the table, the princess looked directly towards her father and casually excused her husband. 

“Please father, forgive Hahn, he wasn’t feeling quite alright, I’m sure he will join us later if he’s feeling better.”

It dawned on Zhao that Hahn was after all the husband of the lovely creature next to him and the Admiral had to repress the urge to ask how such a thing was even possible. 

Hahn was an idiot that thought the world owed him something for being the son of an influential family and because he had gotten just the right connections to being accepted into the most important clan of all the Water Tribe. And the princess was a creature considered almost godlike for those rare people that had managed to take a glance at her. Among the rumors of her beauty, people whispered that her white hair had been given to her by the spirits, but how and why it was not revealed in any of the stories him or his men had heard, he could only suspect it may have to do with some sort of commitment to serve them, maybe as a sage or priestess or something like that. 

Even though at that moment Zhao saw none of that, she was here, right next to him, she wasn’t like a moonbeam that you can reach but not touch, she was there. And that actually made it even worst.

“If she were a goddess Hahn could simply have married her in spirit and devout his life to her as others do to the spirits. It certainly is shameful that a woman as she is, truly is married to a spoiled boy with the intellectual capacity of a sea slug and the charisma of an iceberg.” He thought.

“It is a shame. We shall see that your husband is taking care of, daughter.” 

The cold in Arnook's voice was quite palpable, there was a warning there, but Zhao surmised it wasn’t directed at his daughter, who simply bowed her head slightly and began making conversation with him.

There was slight mirth in her voice and gradually the guests returned to their chatting. Zhao was half expecting the princess to be a quiet and timid creature, but instead, she heartily initiates a conversation with him.

“Well, more like an interrogation” mused the Admiral several minutes later. The young woman was eager to know things about the Fire Nation first and then about his many travels.

“You must understand, Admiral Zhao, that we don’t get that many visitors from around the world, and my daughter is after all a young and curious girl.” Yue’s mother had tried to come to his rescue, from across her husband, her tone was polite, but Zhao could sense she wasn’t pleased with her daughter's actions. 

The last time Yue had spoken with someone from outside the Water Tribe was years ago when she was an unmarried teenager that didn’t have to worry about the whims of her husband. Even though her family had always sheltered her, it was a rare occasion when they allowed her to talk with professor Zei. The man was a bit eccentric and maybe too much insistent in getting to know the traditions and beliefs of her people, but he had a kind heart and was quite willing to share as much knowledge as he could with others and Yue had taken a liking to the man, and enjoyed their conversations greatly, she still hoped to see him again.

“Admiral, have you been in the Navy all your life?” 

“Well, not all my life really, but if you ask about my career, the truth is I began as a soldier and only after a while I went into the Navy. I traveled with some envoys during my younger days in the Earth Kingdom.”

“Where?” The princess sounded so eagerly, that it was harder for Zhao not to go into full detail about his escapades. 

“Oh, mainly the big cities, but I especially recall a skirmish we had while I was accompanying some high ranking officers in the Si Wong dessert in a diplomatic mission, you see your highness, these tribes of earth-benders use the desert sands in a similar way the water-benders would use ….”

  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hahn was fuming, he had spoken about what he was convinced was the best idea he had had in months. The princess disagreed on the matter, but choose to remain silent for the duration of his tirade.

“He shouldn’t be here, much less his men, I don’t know what your father is thinking.”

  
Yue wanted to tell him that her father knew what he was doing, but decided against it, she didn’t want to risk having to hear another of her husband’s tantrums.

The princess had heard a lot about the Admiral over the years, he had been a commander for several years and his current designation was still new to her ears, she remembered that for the first few months she had heard about him she was convinced his name was Cho, it was only after hearing her father talked about him had Yue realized it was the same person that Hahn had been calling by the wrong name for so long.

Whether it was out of indolence or plain disinterest, the princess really couldn’t tell, but back then Hahn seemed always more ready to take the perks of his future station as her husband, rather than the responsibilities. Yes, he was promptly ready to embark on the huntings and to train with the other warriors, but everything else was a mystery or a bore to him.

“My father says that if we are so welcoming with the Fire … Yue are you even listening to me?  


“Yes, of course, your father is concerned about the diplomatic relations that the Tribe has with the” people from the Fire Nation, you have told me so before.” 

“So, am I boring you, is that it?” Even though the princess tone was polite, and had always been so towards him, Hahn had gotten ruder and ruder to her in the last months.

“No, you’re not boring me, but don’t you think my father knows what he’s doing?”

Hahn’s hit the table as soon as Yue finished asking him the question, an act that has gotten more common during the last months of her marriage. 

“Your father has to understand is time for him to let the younger generations take their rightful place. Anyway, I have already told the servants we won’t be joining the celebrations. I don’t feel comfortable having you in the same room as those brutes.”

“What do you mean? What did you tell the servants?”

  
“I just told them I wasn’t feeling well, I don’t know, and that you’ll be taking care of me. But don’t worry, I told Kallik to make it sound like it wasn’t something so serious, you don’t need to worry about.”

“I understand. I think I shall retire for the evening them.” Yue knew she should have seen something like that coming, Hahn was adamantly against her even going out when the Navy ships were docking in the port and her father was more or less on the same page as Hahn for a while, until now at least.

“That’s it? You’re leaving so soon?” 

“I do not want to disturb you, husband, I’m sure you had a long day and so did I.” 

After their marriage, they were given the choice to live outside the palace with Hahn’s family or to stay living in the palace. Hahn had accepted because it suited him better, he was convinced it increased his status and gave him more chances to prove his worth to his father-in-law. He had managed to pressure the servants to avoid any sort of talk about the couple´s current arrangement, but it didn’t mean he was pleased with the situation.

“I don’t understand you” his voice was full of resentment. “Other women would feel happy to share their lives with me. To share a bed with me. What did the spirits do to you? If I had known …”

Yue stopped in her tracks. “Would you like us to try again this evening my husband?”

It wasn’t the passive innuendo in her words or her calm tone that made him wanted to scream at her, it was the way she had simply stopped in the middle of the room and had barely moved her head above her shoulder to turn at him. 

“Forget it, it’s like trying to sleep with a statue made of frost.” 

In the end, he left their common room before her, storming out and fuming like a child, and went to his dormitory. Ideally, they were supposed to be two bedrooms in their quarters, one for them and one for their future child, and only after one month into her marriage Hahn had moved his things to the would-be nursery and stayed there until now.

The princess, on the other hand, retired to her bedroom and began taking off her earrings. It was then when a moonbeam caught the side of her mirror and she saw herself washed in silvery light, she hadn’t even realized her windows were open till then. There was so much sadness on her face, so much disappointment. 

“If I could only be like the moon for one night and walk freely as she roams the skies”. Yue didn’t want to cry and didn’t want to pry to the spirits, didn’t want to please others or be the responsible person. For one night, one night only she wanted to be free of the restraints of her condition and position.

At that moment the light struck her with a revelation, and she felt a fateful hand touch her heart. “Haven’t the Moon gave me life? Haven’t I been blessed by the radiant lady of the skies? I too could be like her, even if it is for a night, free of the restraints and earthly bounds.”  


Quickly the young lady put her earrings back in their place, oh she would visit the Oasis tomorrow, she would pray to the spirits later, but she wasn’t going to ask for guidance now. 

She glided through the white corridors, whispers of voices in her mind, hers and the other, the one that came only in dreams, the one that sounded like her mother but wasn’t. “I will know, I will understand and discover this secret of fire.” 

When she arrived at the great gates of the hall, she composed herself and entered as if nothing else had happened, in her thoughts she believed if she could tell her a story in which she could be the brave princess, it would come true. “Just for tonight, just one night” she repeated like a mantra. 

She entered proudly and nodded to the crowd, the Fire Warriors were seated on the other side of the place she managed to take a brief look at them.   


“I am Yue, the princess of this palace, my coming is required,” she told herself.

With long and calculated steps she went to the high table and with all seriousness, she chastised her doubts. “ I am Yue, the beloved daughter, my presence is expected”, she looked warmly in her parents’ faces and move past them.

Only then she took the chance to look upon the object of her journey. Finally, she could put a face the name and tone to the voice. He raised to meet her, towering over her in more than one sense, the Admiral was not just tall but his wide back made his physique quite impressive, he was taller than what she expected and also younger, the widow peak of his dark brown hair and his sideburns served as a stern frame to his already strong jaw and masculine face. He had a few wrinkles under his eyes and next to his mouth, but it only served to make him more imposing.

And when he greeted her with his deep baritone voice, the princess felt a gush of hot air coming from him, she had heard from professor Zei that firebenders used the chakra in their stomachs to produce fire and that it was deeply connected to their respiration. 

“Maybe if I move closer I will feel it hotter, the warm wind of his voice.” She thought realizing a tepidness in her own cheeks she didn’t remember having felt before.


	4. The princess and the Admiral - Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As always, kudos and comments make my day, I hope you will enjoy this chapter!

Since his childhood Chief Arnook and his wife had bonded over many things, one of them their shared love for enjoying meals in the company of each other, Arnook loved to bring the efforts of his hunting to the table and Amka loved to prepared the food. They also took pleasure in watching their guests celebrate and be entertained, a thing that was happening at that precise moment in front of their eyes, but not for the reasons they had expected.

Amka had never truly liked Hahn, she sensed something off about him, his smile too quick and kind in front of her and her husband, but his smirk too swift and sardonic when he thought nobody wasn’t watching, nobody of importance that is. But the young man had proven his worth in the hunting field and during the fishing expeditions, he came from an influential family and had the right age to court her daughter. She had hoped though, that he could grow more into his role as the chief´s son-in-law and into a more mature man by following her husband’s example and been in his company. Quite the contrary, Hahn had only become more vocal about all the things he saw differently and that he was convinced we're right, he hadn't yet actively challenge her husband but Amka knew the time would come. 

The fact that Hahn had given an obviously false excuse to the servants meant that his childish nature was showing and the dour look in her husband’s eyes was a sign the chief wasn’t buying it. Amka had felt sad for her daughter first, because after all it was her birthday and guilty because she could have said something, anything, a long time ago when the two children have been promised to each other in married. 

“But how could I say something? It was not that different for Arnook and me, and I was even younger when we got married. We grew up together, we matured together.”

Amka was following that train of thought, when the gates opened and her daughter entered the hall, the older woman winked twice, Yue seemed to irradiate an aura of calmness and determination. At that precise moment, the woman became aware of something very sad regarding her daughter, she looked happy and interested, and she hadn’t seen her like that for a long time. She didn’t want to think about when was the last time her daughter had acted like that, but she couldn’t deny it. Before her wedding, even earlier than that, before they had informed her that the preparations for her marriage ceremony had already begun.

Yue was shining, she had turned into such a beautiful woman, her mother thought “I shall talk to her about Hahn, I can help her.” But her hopeful thoughts turned to a sour feeling when her daughter went beyond her usual seat, passed her father, and took Hahn’s place. 

Amka tried to read her husband’s eyes and her daughter’s expression, one was too somber and the other one too bright, the contrast between the calm sea before the storm and the dark clouds above.   
“And in the middle, lightning”, she thought.

Zhao wasn’t the sort of man that denies his nature, he was very aware he was someone who deeply enjoys being the center of attention, Lu Ten, the joyous Lu Ten had told him that straight to his face only after a couple of days of knowing him, but that sweet young man who could see the good in everyone didn’t judge him for that. He found it refreshing.

  
“You love it, my father is right, giving orders and standing all tall and imposing, you even have the perfect voice for it. Too bad you are not that good at telling stories, though.” The crown prince had told him, and he couldn’t stop himself from noticing how different and yet similar his prince and the Water princess were.

They both have affable tempers and were curious people, but it was obvious that while Lu Ten’s curiosity had been rewarded and encouraged, the princess had seen hers cloistered.

“Is this the first time she sees a man from the Fire Nation?” he didn’t want to sound too blunt by asking her, but couldn’t help but wonder about it. The whole situation pointed that this was the case, but judging by the interactions he had witnessed from her parents, they weren’t too pleased, and Zhao was no fool, after all, he could read a crowd as well as any other commanding officer, it was evident that the princess shouldn’t be sitting next to him, much less showing such interest on his person. 

But he felt a pull… her naivety and her thirst for knowledge were stimulating, and her questions brought him back memories and places, her eyes shone with wonder and his prince was right, he loved when people looked up to him.

Zhao thought briefly about asking her about Hahn, even though he couldn’t bring himself to call him “her husband”, it simply felt wrong. 

“Would she get into trouble for this?” He thought, and after all, he was a man from the Fire Nation, his cultural background was vastly different. His people knew that to tame the fire requires discipline but producing it involves risks, two sides of the same coin, of the same principle that they taught to equally to women and men. And the Admiral had an especial weakness for risk-taking women.

“...speaking of travels, princess, have you ever been onto a Fire Nation vessel?”

The words came out from his mouth and instead of regretting them as soon as he said them, the Admiral relished in the reaction he had provoked.

The veiled invitation hung heavy upon the air, and the Admiral was perfectly aware of the implications. 

“I … no, never,” muttered Yue her eyes wide open in surprise.

“Well, there are quite different from your ships, but they have their charm. We usually stoked them pretty well with provisions from the Fire Nation, spices and teas unique to our islands ...” Zhao paused just for an instant, he had a way with words, he wasn’t that good at telling stories and he had to restraint his tongue for most of his life, but the man knew exactly how to give a speech or scorch the other person with the precise remark. Nevertheless, right now the Admiral was aiming for slow a burn.

“Spices?” asked the princess with interest.

“Yes, we spiced everything, our vegetables, our meat, our rice, and even our beverages. I must say that we as a nation truly enjoy the taste of heat. I, myself even like my food a bit hotter than many of my country-men. I must say it’s especially useful in this latitude, well at least for us, creatures of the sun such as we are. You could say that we consume heat to radiate it, and in a way, the warmth of our homeland comes with us in the shape of tea leaves and spices. In a sense, every meal we share brings us back to our islands.” Zhao’s voice, already one of his best qualities, sounded dreamy and evocative, and most importantly it held the promise of the answers Yue had been seeking for so long.

  
“Please, tell me, Admiral, if you be so kind, do you think one day I could sample some of these delicacies?”

Chief Arnook overheard her daughter and brace himself. Among the many taboos and traditions, the Water Tribe held, one of the most important was to feed the guests and in turn accept any offering of food and drinks that may bring with them. For people living in such harsh conditions, it meant the survival of the tribe and help to improve the bonds between different groups and clans. 

If the Admiral offered Yue his hospitality she wouldn’t be able to refuse according to their customs and he could only begin to think what kind of scene Hahn would do tomorrow. Surely the Admiral wouldn’t….

“It would be my pleasure to have you as my most honored guest.”

Zhao’s voice sounded so warm and tempting, and Yue could picture in her mind what would be such an experience, but most of all, she wondered if maybe those mysterious spices could affect her too.

“I shall expect you tomorrow at mid-afternoon, for your convenience, of course, we should begin with something simple so your palate can become accustomed to our tastes.”

The invitation in Zhao’s voice tasted like honey and cut like a dagger in equal measure, Yue knew perfectly well that it would be unbecoming for her as a member of the Water Tribe and princess to refuse an invitation like that, but at the same time, it would not look good on her husband if she decided to set foot on the Admiral´s ship.

The problem wasn’t that Yue had been left speechless, the problem was that accepting Zhao’s invitation was at the tip of her tongue, but she knew that she had to tread carefully and all the while feeling her father’s heavy gaze upon her.

“Admiral, you flatter me with your invitation, I don’t know what to say...” started Yue.

His Fire Lord would have told Zhao to get out of the predicament in which he had put the princess as quick and gracefully as he could, probably in some obtuse and philosophical way as it was his costume, but his prince would have told him “Zhao since you’re already at the ballroom, you may as well dance”. Lu Ten, being the compassionate young man that he was, would see that Zhao just wanted to take the princess out to help her, to show her another side of the world and put her, even if it were only for a few hours, away of the tedium that living so cloistered meant. Well, of course, a little part of his mind supplied, the lady had her husband, but a long life of boredom spiked with some mild moments of annoyance wasn’t a great prospect either.

“You’ll say that will come of course, and I’ll have all the arrangements made for you and your lady in waiting to come onto my ship.” The Admiral indeed had a natural mercurial temper, but thanks to years of rigorous and disciplined training, he also had a sharp sense of convenience that helped him to circumnavigate the messy situations of others (but mostly his) and get him to a safer port.

  
“Yes, yes of course! We’ll be delighted.” Yue catch the drift immediately, not even Hahn would say anything if she took away Kallik with her and even her father and mother couldn’t object. Even so, there was a part of her that was even happier for a single thing that the Admiral had made clear in his invitation, even if not explicitly. She was the one invited, not Hahn, and that gave her a liberating feeling. And she didn’t believe for a moment Hahn would’ve wanted to accompany anyway.

“Admiral Zhao – Arnook’s voice sounded serious behind him- you flatter my daughter’s curiosity with your invitation, I am sure she will hold our costumes and traditions well in front of you, a man of the world and that had seen so much.” 

The implications were clear in the chief’s words, but Zhao exuded concord through his voice and even he and his wife got some reassurance from it.

“Nothing would please me more than to know that my humble actions can strengthen the bond between our people. I assure you chief Arnook, your daughter and her entourage will be treated with all the dignity and care a person of her worth requires.”   
Both the chief and his wife felt somewhat relaxed, the Admiral was stating that he took for grant this was a diplomatic visit and nothing more and that he had always expected that Yue, like any other young aristocratic women of the other nations, would need a whole group of people to travel with her, a female companion and some guards to escort her. 

Yet chief Arnook and his wife had some reservations, they would talk later with their daughter, but   
at that moment a pang of guilt overtook Amka’s heart when she saw her Yue looking at them with expecting eyes.

Amka decided that she wasn’t going to deny her daughter a little trip, the joy of at least hearing different stories and taste new things, they would talk later, but what harm could it cause to let her chat with the Admiral? 

Tomorrow they would talk in the morning, but for now, her daughter was happy, and maybe she could hold onto that joy a little longer, at least she hoped so.


End file.
